Shrimper’s body recovered from lake

ROBERT ZULLO Staff Writer

Saturday

May 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 24, 2008 at 12:22 AM

THERIOT -- The body of a 52-year-old Theriot shrimper was pulled from the waters of Sister Lake late Friday afternoon, about five hours after a deckhand woke from a nap and noticed the man was missing, authorities said.

Cleveland Verdin, of Bayou Dularge Road, was found about 3:45 p.m. by a trawler assisting the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit in searching for his body, sheriff’s Maj. Tommy Odom said.

Verdin, who was found in about 6 feet of water, is believed to have drowned, though autopsy results are pending. The U.S. Coast Guard and about a dozen shrimping and fishing boats helped deputies search for Verdin’s body, Odom said.

Verdin and an unidentified deckhand were aboard a 27-foot skiff, outfitted with a half cabin, that left out of Dularge Wednesday afternoon. The surviving man told deputies the two spent most of Thursday sleeping.

They continued skimming for shrimp Thursday night into Friday morning, Odom said.

Verdin told his deckhand to take a nap early Friday morning, and when the deckhand awoke, the boat captain was missing, Odom said, adding that the deckhand called authorities from a cell phone.

The shrimper was not wearing a life jacket when his body was recovered, deputies said.

The severe weather that churned local waters and dumped sheets of rain on Terrebonne Thursday is not believed to have played a role in the mishap, Odom said.

Verdin’s next-door neighbor, Geraldine Liner, said the 52-year-old grew up on Bayou Grand Caillou in Dulac, but he and his wife had lived in Theriot for about 30 years.

Liner, also a cousin of Verdin’s mother-in-law Shirley, said that though Verdin "kept to himself," he was well liked and had fished the waters of southern Terrebonne for oysters, crab and shrimp his entire life.

"He was a very hard worker. He didn’t have enemies," she said. "Everybody liked Cleveland."

Verdin leaves behind his wife, two daughters, one son, and six grandchildren, Liner added.

CORRECTION: This article orginally contained incorrect information.Verdin's correct age is 52. Shirley Verdin is his mother-in-law, not his wife.

Staff Writer Robert Zullo can be reached at 985-850-1150 or robert.zullo@houmatoday.com.

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